Rita R Colwell PhD: 11th Director of the National Science Foundation, 1998â€2004, current Chair of Canon US Life Sciences, Inc. and Distinguished University Professor both at the University of Maryland at College Park and at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Colwell’s interests are focused on global infectious diseases, water, and health, and she is currently developing an international network to address emerging infectious diseases and water issues, including safe drinking water for both the developed and developing world.

As the 11th Director of the National Science Foundation, Dr. Colwell she served as Coâ€chair of the Committee on Science of the National Science and Technology Council. Her major interests include Kâ€12 science and mathematics education, graduate science and engineering education, and the increased participation of women and minorities in science and engineering.

Dr. Colwell has held many advisory positions in the U.S. Government and nonprofit sector. She has been awarded 40 honorary degrees from institutions of higher education, including her Alma Mater, Purdue University. Dr. Colwell is an honorary member of the microbiological societies of the UK, France, Israel, Bangladesh, and the U.S. and has held several honorary professorships, including from the University of Queensland, Australia. A geological site in Antarctica, Colwell Massif, has been named in recognition of her work in the polar regions.